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Jennie Baranczyk urges OU fans to show up for NCAA Tournament, despite late tipoff

headshotby: George Stoia03/19/26GeorgeStoia

OU women’s basketball coach Jennie Baranczyk knows a 9 p.m. CT tipoff is not ideal for fans.

The fifth-year head coach is very familiar with hosting the NCAA Tournament in Norman. This weekend will mark the third time in five years that Baranczyk’s team has hosted the first and second rounds of the tournament. Last year, it was a big part of why the Sooners reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013.

But this year, 4-seed OU received a tough draw. It got the last tipoff of the day, playing 13-seed Idaho at 9 p.m. CT.

“What else were you going to do on Friday night?” Baranczyk said sarcastically on Thursday when asked if she’s a fan of the tipoff time.

Baranczyk is hopeful that the game’s time won’t keep fans from coming to the Lloyd Noble Center. She knows her team needs them. The opportunity to host the NCAA Tournament is something the Sooners earned this season.

“It’s essential,” Baranaczyk said. “You can tell there’s always been this really cool energy in our building. There just weren’t as many people. So we continue to grow that. You’ve seen us have really good games. You’ve seen us beat people we weren’t supposed to beat, or been in games because our fans have been part of it. So we have been so lucky that the people that come are so invested and pour just incredible energy in here. We just needed more people as years have gone, and you’ve seen that, the NCAA Tournament from the first year to this year.”

Last year against Iowa, in the Round of 32, the attendance was 8,138. In 2022, the attendance for the Notre Dame game in the Round of 32 was only 3,258.

It’s obvious Baranczyk has started to build something special in Norman. The program’s attendance has only increased over the years as her team has had sustained success. She’s hopeful that it continues this weekend.

“Now we’re really going to test our fans, right? 9:00 p.m. on a Friday night, we need you,” Baranczyk said. “So we have to be able to show up with that same kind of energy, and I promise you we’re going to do the same. We’re going to do everything that we can for our fans, but we need them to do it with us. That’s how we’ve won games. That’s what we really want to continue to do. We’re still trying to build this elite fan base here in terms of numbers, in terms of having a home court advantage.

“I know we’ve talked about having the new arena, and I know we’ve talked about all those things, but it can get rocking here, and we have felt that this season. So we need to make sure on Friday night that it is too.”

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